Alasdair Strokosch made his debut for Scotland against Australia at Murrayfield in November 2006, but would have to wait over a year for his next cap against Ireland in the 2008 Six Nations.

Strokosch had represented Scotland at all age-grade levels as well as Sevens and 'A' level before his debut, and he returned to the 'A' side for the 2007 Churchill Cup before making a switch from Edinburgh to Gloucester.

Strokosch made an impact on the 2008 Six Nations, with a strong performance against Ireland earning him a start for the Calcutta Cup victory over England and a Man of the Match award in defeat against Italy. He subsequently missed out on selection for the autumn internationals against New Zealand and South Africa, but returned to action with a try against Canada at Pittodrie.

In Janaury 2009 he was included in Frank Hadden's squad for the 2009 Six Nations, playing four of the matches and going on to play a central role in Scotland's November internationals against Fiji, Argentina and Australia later that year.

However he fell down the pecking order for Gloucester and struggled to retain his place in the Scotland set up with John Beattie, Kelly Brown and John Barclay forming a back-row triumvirate.

But with Beattie omitted from the final 30-man squad for the World Cup - Strokosch will hope to be given a chance in the Scotland back-row.